Sidmouth hardly needs a 'who's going' thread to publicise it! Because I spend many evenings in the York & Faulk I apologise again here to Kitty and Tim for not coping with a lunchtime there as well. Shame about the theatre bar because those sessions somehow picked up a uniquely broad cross section of folks - a seaside feel maybe. Mind I'm feeling the Anchor strenuous now in that upstairs room and the Volunteer ever more inward looking. Maybe I'm just past it and should sit in a deck chair all week?

We intend to dip our toes in the water this year both literally and metaphorically :) We won't be there for the whole week but are sure to make our way to the middle bar at some point and if there are old time sessions the banjo will surely follow!

Sad news from Sidmouth! The Old Ship, in the pedestrian precinct, perhaps the oldest pub in Sidmouth, built around 1362 has been sold and is being turned into a Costa Coffee shop. How sad for a historic old building. If ever there was a building that so lent itself to being a pub it was the old Ship, with it's old stories of smugglers.As if we need another coffee shop! For the last few years we have slowly built up a lovely mixed session there with another session going on in the back bar.So another Fringe session bites the dust. Where next?

Rob and I will be there the whole week, staying at a nice place a bit out of town with freda underhill, who will then come back home and stay with us for a few days after.

We decided to bite the bullet and get season tickets because we know we want to do some of the workshops and there are some acts we want to see, but we also expect to spend a lot of our time in the Middle Bar and the Radway, and this year I'll probably borrow Rob's extra pair of river sandals so I can go singing in the sea. I'm afraid I can't get used to walking on stony beaches in bare feet - I'm used to the sandy beaches in Sydney.

MikeofNorthumbria mentioned the pasty place in the little side street. That's The Filling Station. We were regulars there last year - the pasties were wonderful - but when we went to the reunion in February, they seemed a bit different - a little too much pastry. I hope that isn't a permanent change. We'll certainly give them another go this year just to find out.

Freda, I thought you knew about singing in the sea. Not all of us got to do it in 2001 when we were there with the choir, but I know Miguel did. Just ask him. There are photos somewhere.

I forget which day it happens, but at the appointed time, the Middle Bar Singers meet outside the Anchor, and walk down to the beach singing shanties and the like, and a large number of brave souls keep on going down into the water and form a big circle and keep on singing. I didn't go in last year because I didn't have the appropriate footwear, but I intend to remedy that this year :)

I'd be happy to wear the yellow t shirt if I could get my hands on one. I asked, but there didn't seem to be any on sale last year and nobody knew how I could get one :( Does anyone know if there will be any this year?

Ruth - thanks for the link to the new page about The Transports. Sounds fantastic. Although I'm generally not a concert-goer I think I booked my ticket the day after they went on sale in mid May. The write-up makes me even more convinced that I did the right thing.

I might even wear my yellow T-shirt for swimming in the sea first. Sue

Jenny - Mike Gibson (who managed to procure MBS t-shirts for the Boston song and single malt contingent who visited Sidmouth last year) has volunteered to sort some out for this year too, but needs to know how many people will want to acquire one of them.

There will be a minimum order so far I only have two, for the t shirts and as I have just started a new job I will have to see But if I do the T shirts I have made a note of your orders. I have a house full of folk musicians from Oxford staying with me looking to set up or join in a mixed session should be a good week oh yes and the fund raising night for the life boat is going ahead early start on the Tuesday night in the anchor Mike Gibson

Assuming that is Mike, what is the minimum order? I'll ask freda underhill if she wants one. So far all she said was that she doesn't do t shirts, especially yellow, but who knows? For this occasion, she might.

VT, I'm sure they will be happy to sell you a T-shirt, in fact you may be the prime target market! I have accumulated four, two yellows and two blacks over the ?12 years I've been a MBSer, so don't really need any more unless they start falling apart or fading after all that silly singing in the sea!

It would be nice if they would put the full programme on the website, so's I can decide which tickets to buy: there's only the Ham, Bulverton, and Manor Pavilion so far, and nothing about workshops at all. It says it will be on there "in July" but it's now the 13th already and Early booking discount ceases on the 24th.

I'm not getting a ticket or stewarding, I am camping at Kingsdown Tail and will pay for a selection of concerts. Will hopefully be going to the Transports (I saw it at Whitby years ago) and will be interested to see what the Melrose Quartet are like. I have heard good things. Most of my week will be spent in the Middle Bar or the Swan.

Probably see you at the Swan at sometime then GUEST.Morris Barry. I'll be taking in some concerts (Home Service and Dougie Maclean for starters) and for the first time I'll be staying at official campsite which I'm really looking forward to. Stayed out at Salcombe Regis last year which is a lovely campsite, but the bus was always jam packed by the time it got there. John Barden

I'll be doing PA duties everyday either in the Bedford or the Manor Pavilion...Beer is always welcome, If you think I've given good mix! Other than that, will be playing tunes in the Radway...Maybe the Volunteer, if my legs get that far! See you all in 2 weeks.

Please note that anonymous posting is no longer allowed at Mudcat. Use a consistent name [in the 'from' box] when you post, or your messages risk being deleted. Guest,guest is not an acceptable posting name - it has already been taken.Thanks.-Joe Offer-

The Melrose Quartet are excellent - I'm hoping I'll get to see them. I don't have any definite plans this year so am looking forward to a lucky dip of sessions, concerts and workshops when I'm off duty.

Beginning to look forward to Sidmouth Folk Festival! Time to ring the changes, I think! Break out and do something completely different throughout the whole week! So, probably the Radway Inn mainly traditional English session at lunchtime and then the Sailing Club mainly traditional English session in the evening!

On the way tomorrow early. Have had no replies to any enquiries I have made.... don't even know i8f the disabled pitch I reserved has been allocated....info@sidmouth has been noinfo@sidmouth, unless it is covered by what is put up on the website.....

Girl Friday, responses have been given to your mother, who asked them on your behalf when she arrived. Some of them were not very straightforward to answer, so answers had to be sought at what is a very busy time. Apologies for not responding sooner.

I haven't had a reply either re the disabled pitch. I am just going to show up at the campsite with print out of last steward email sent to me and tell them that I requested a disabled pitch. This is what I did last year and it was fine.

I am going to ask for my own key to disabled toilet though, because I get up around 3 to 5 times a night. That fumbling around seeking for shared key hiding place in the dark was not fun, especially when campsite stewards assumed I was a drunk wondering around in the middle of the night.

Ok yes - It was 3 in the morning and I was dishevelled looking (in bright rainbow striped PJs bottoms and unravelling pullover) and I was stumbling (with RA stiffness) with my big walking stick from my van to yours. But the guy should have listened when I told him that I was going to collect the shared key for the disabled toilet. He didn't seem to believe me and followed and watched me, collect key and then go to disabled toilet.

Sally (The Lemonade Lady)...I'm so sorry that you won't be at Sidmouth this year, it won't be the same without you in Blackmore Gardens.

The treatment you received in that email is appalling and John Braithwaite should be ashamed of himself.

Sidmouth ain't what it once was, sadly.

I may be going there ONLY to visit a friend next week, who lives in the town, and to meet up with some other friends who are down there for the week. But for me, Sidmouth Folk Week has been very soured by some of those who are behind the scenes...and I think the way you have been treated is just the pits.

And this is Sally's post, from her Facebook page, for all those who don't have FB so were unable to access her link above, which I've re-tyrped, as I was not able to copy and paste it from the FB page..

Sophie Braithwaite's email to Sally (The Lemonade Lady)

>>>>Dear Sally,

Thank you for your application to cater at this year's festival.

There has been an amazing amount of interest so allocating pitches has been tough. Unfortunately, we didn't find one that would suit your set up this year, but would encourage you to keep in contact as set ups and situations often change.

Have a wonderful summer season.

Kind regards Sophie Braithwaite<<<<<

John Braithwaite's email to Sophie:

>>>>"Sorry not to reply to your message. Yes, what you have done is just fine.

Oddly enough this is one we would probably never have back because she is a pain in the........argues about pitch fees etc. Now we have Salcombe with floats and the cafe with drinks in Blackmore we don't need her."<<<<

This is at the bottom of the post on Sally's FB page. I'm presuming it's a comment from Sally, herself.

"This is what can happen to a trader when they try to negotiate a pitch fee... we don't get it! Or is it what happens when you accidentally on purpose forget to delete the carbon copy in your email?"

Sorry, John, but what a truly foul way to treat someone, particularly when Sally's been Sidmouth's Lemonade Lady for so many years..

I was told about this a short while ago today, by some friends who've come down for Sidmouth. I couldn't believe it, when I heard. Sadly, I do now.

Oh, and for me to get there a lot of stuff would have to go much better than expected between now and next week.... currently got an access tower and doing drastic things to fascia and guttering plus the 'Roo is making an odd noise. we'll see.

At the very least, Sally, it would have been 'the right thing' for John to have written to you, apologising for his arrogance and rudeness.

He is in charge of this Festival, and therefore, his behaviour, and attitude, should be beyond reproach towards everyone.

You most certainly don't just discard those who've been at Sidmouth for many years, because you have others now who will willingly pay the recent vast increases in pitch fees without questioning as to why they are having to pay so much more.

Or maybe you do, if your folk week is about money and nothing else. I'd always thought that Sidmouth carried with it a certain amount of loyalty to artists and those who make it what it is, the crafts people, the catering crews, the cool drinks sellers...

Sadly, it seems The Corporate Bastard Attitude has even crept into the world of the folk festival.

I've been reading a few sad reports about why people no longer are attending Cambridge this year too.

Very sad when Greed comes before Loyalty towards all those who make Folk Festivals/Weeks, what they always have been.

I think the harm that has been done over this horrid email is evident, particularly on your FB page where people have left many comments in your support.

You will be greatly missed, Sally, by many of the adults as well as the children, for whom I'm sure, 'The Lemonade Lady' stall in Blackmore Gardens, with its' cooling, fresh lemonade, has always been a very welcome and much loved part of Sidmouth Folk Week.

To all over festival organisers who have Sally on their books, treasure her. :0)

Good thing we have special tickets for it then. We were well and truly "Spooked" last night by the Spooky Men- just as brilliant as ever! Chilling in front of the Ham right now and about to wander up towards the Radway before dinner. It's a hard life.....

Having a brilliant time. Trying to get out of the Bedford Hotel after Martyn Windham Read concert with my mobility aid rolling walker, I poked Eliza Carthy in the behind. How embarrassing. I supposed I should have roared a warning. "Watch out! Mad old woman with a people mower coming through."

Saw Sam Carter, Corncrow and the adorable Jim Causley earlier in week, same venue as above. Fronting for MWR were 2 young acts. Gavin Davenport and Ruth Notman. Wow! To all of the above. I was treated to some pleasantly stunning music. The enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge about traditional music of the young musos is heartening.

We have Spookyman concert today lunch time. YIPPEE! I am told that some were dining in the Black Horse yesterday evening during my Johnson Girls song with the Run Ashore (shanty sing pub crawl collecting for Sidmouth lifeboat). Glad I didn't know at the time, or I would have flubbed the song.

We have tickets to The Transports tomorrow night but I can't get happy about it. Folk week is almost over. It is far too short and far too long until the next one.